5 Then afterward, Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”

² And Pharaoh said, “Who is the ‘LORD’, that I should hear His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the ‘LORD’, nor will I let Israel go.”

³ And they said, “We worship the God of the Hebrews. Please, let us go three days’ journey in the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He bring the pestilence or sword upon us.”

⁴ Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you cause the people to cease from their works? Get to work!”

⁵ Pharaoh said furthermore, “Behold, many people are now in the land, and you make them stop working.”

⁶ Therefore, that same day, Pharaoh gave commandment to the taskmasters of the people, and to their officers, saying,

⁷ “You shall give the people no more straw to make brick (as in times past). Let them go and gather straw themselves.

⁸ “Nevertheless, lay upon them the same number of bricks which they made before. Diminish nothing thereof. For they are idle. Therefore, they cry, saying, ‘Let us go to offer sacrifice to our God.’

⁹ “Lay more work upon the men and make them do it; and do not let them listen to false words.”

¹⁰ Then, the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and told the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will give you no more straw.

¹¹ “Go get straw for yourselves, wherever you can find it. But nothing of your labor shall be diminished.’”

¹² Then, the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt, to gather chaff instead of straw.

¹³ And the taskmasters hurried them, saying, “Finish your day’s work - every day’s task - as you did when you had straw.”

¹⁴ And the officers of the children of Israel (which Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them) were beaten, and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making bricks yesterday and today, as in times past?”

¹⁵ Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants?

¹⁶ “There is no straw given to your servants; and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And lo, your servants are beaten and your people are blamed.”

¹⁷ But he said, “You are too idle! Therefore, you say, ‘Let us go to offer sacrifice to the LORD.’

¹⁸ “Go now, therefore, and work! For there shall be no straw given to you! Yet you shall still deliver the whole quota of bricks!”

¹⁹ Then, the officers of the children of Israel saw the evil upon them, because it was said, “You shall diminish nothing of your bricks, nor of every day’s task.”

²⁰ And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in their way as they came out from Pharaoh.

²¹ To whom they said, “The LORD look upon you and judge. For you have made our savor stink before Pharaoh, and before his servants, in that you have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

²² Therefore, Moses returned to the LORD and said, “LORD, why have you afflicted this people? Why have you sent me?

²³ “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your Name, he has troubled this people. And yet, You have not delivered Your people.”